Farming Pioneers, Legends Inducted Into Ag Hall Of Honor isionary leaders of the Alabama V Farmers Federation were inducted into the Alabama Agriculture Hall of
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Honor Feb. 17, alongside legends in farming, agricultural research and conservation. Posthumous inductees receiving the Pioneer Award were former Federation and American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) President Edward A. O’Neal III; Federation founder and former Alabama Cooperative Extension System Director Luther Duncan; and legendary agronomist and researcher George Washington Carver. The late William Rankin of Faunsdale was honored in the Hall of Honor production category; conservationist Earl Norton was inducted for work in education and government; and livestock auctioneer Don Green was recognized for agribusiness. Federation External Affairs Department Director Brian Hardin helped organize the event as first vice president of Auburn University’s (AU) Ag Alumni Club. He said honoring O’Neal, Duncan and Carver was a fitting culmination of the Federation’s centennial in 2021 and kickoff for AU College of Agriculture’s sesquicentennial in 2022. “These gentlemen had a lasting positive impact on Alabama farmers and American agriculture,” Hardin said. “Duncan’s vision of uniting farmers to have a stronger voice in public policy laid the foundation for the Federation, which has become one of the nation’s most influential and effective farm organizations. O’Neal was a powerful voice in Washington and architect of federal farm programs. Carver’s research is still paying dividends for farmers and agriculture around the world.” O’Neal’s great-grandson and namesake accepted the Pioneer Award for his family. He said it’s hard to overstate the significance of his ancestor’s leadership at AFBF from alfafarmers.org
